1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a vehicle seat support assembly and, more specifically, to a vehicle seat fold and tumble support assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
To satisfy the demands of the modern driving public, manufacturers are called upon to provide vehicles that are multi-functional and, in addition to having normal passenger carrying capacity, also provide expandable or additional cargo carrying capability. One way to accomplish this goal and increase the vehicle's cargo space to accommodate large or bulky items that need to be transported is to flatten, fold, and/or collapse one or more of the rear seat assemblies. A conventional approach of collapsing rear vehicle seat assemblies to provide additional storage space is one in which the seat back portion folds down onto the seat cushion and then the rear of the seat support assembly is released from the vehicle floor so that the entire seat pivots, or tumbles, forward about the front floor mounting. These seats generally, and their support assemblies more specifically, are referred to as “fold and tumble.”
Fold and tumble seat designs vary greatly and are used in different ways in different vehicle types. Fold and tumble seats often appear in 3 and 5 door vehicles in which the rear, or secondary seating is folded and tumbled to open up a rear cargo area when desired. Fold and tumble seats are also employed in mini-van and SUV vehicle types where the secondary seats may fold and tumble to provide ingress and egress to third row seating or to provide additional cargo space if the third row is folded down or removed. Regardless of their specific application, the current fold and tumble seat designs and the manner in which the folded seat tumbles have proven to be problematic.
While the various fold and tumble seat approaches to providing additional cargo space in the rear vehicle area have been successful for their intended purpose, they concomitantly encroach upon and reduce forward passenger seating space and thus leave room for improvement. More specifically, when a conventional fold and tumble seat is tumbled forward, the conventional seat support assemblies cause the folded seat to occupy a significant area behind the front seat. If the front seat is positioned toward the back of the vehicle, to accommodate a tall occupant for example, then the front seat must be moved forward to accommodate the tumbled seat. Similarly, if the front seat is in a more forward position, the tumbled seat then rests in behind the front seat so that the front seat is prevented from being moved back to provide legroom or a comfortable seating position for the front seat occupant. Thus, there is a need in the art for a vehicle seat that provides additional rear area cargo space by having fold and tumble capabilities but that does not reduce the vehicle forward seating area.